Processes proposed for treatment of coal-bed methane produced water and other industrial waste waters include: desalination by freezing, desalination by methane-hydrate formation, ion exchange, and reverse osmosis. Although there have been several studies dealing with the applicability of these processes to the treatment of waste water, their applicability to coal-bed methane facilities has been limited. Some reasons why the above noted processes for waste water treatment have not been more commonly applied include increased costs in terms of energy demands, strenuous operating conditions, and detrimental effects on the water being treated.